Chanukah Pot Roast and Latkes
I made this in hurry for a just-us family Chanukah party. Manning said afterword that I cook best when I don't have time to think about it.... that's true.
Pot Roast. I forget exactly what kind of cut this was. Small, standard supermarket boneless, maybe 2 pounds. I dredged it in flour, then browned it on all sides in a heavy cast iron dutch oven. This takes high heat and a decent vent hood. I poured half a bottle of red wine over it (don't let the fancy recipes fool you-- if you don't scrape the bottom of the barrel it doesn't matter) added a 12 ounce can of Hunt's tomato sauce, two quartered onions and four carrots scraped and quartered. Seasoned with dried basil and oregano, and a handful of fresh herbs that are suriviving in my garden: rosemary, sage and thyme. Brought it to a low boil, put the top on and set it in a 325 oven. The secret is to cook it for a long time, I left this in there for 3-4 hours, by which time the sauce had reduced, the top of the meat had dried off a little, and the meat was falling apart tender, I cut portions with a spoon.
Latkes. Three good size baking potatoes and one small onion. Peel, and shred on largest holes of a hand grater, onion first. Transfer to a bowl by the handful, wringing them out into a separate container as you go, by squeezing HARD. When you are done you should have a good amount of water. Let it settle for five minutes, pour off the water and add the starch back to the potatoes. Add an egg, salt and pepper, mix with your bare hands.
Heat a half-inch of vegetable oil in a big iron skillet, hot but not smoking. Make 1.5 inch patties and drop them in the oil. Turn with a slotted spatula when brown. When nice and brown remove to a cookie sheet lined with paper towel, and place in oven with pot roast while you do the next batch or two. By this time I had the oven all the way turned down, the pot roast had cooked plenty.
Serve with sour cream or applesauce.....
Pot Roast. I forget exactly what kind of cut this was. Small, standard supermarket boneless, maybe 2 pounds. I dredged it in flour, then browned it on all sides in a heavy cast iron dutch oven. This takes high heat and a decent vent hood. I poured half a bottle of red wine over it (don't let the fancy recipes fool you-- if you don't scrape the bottom of the barrel it doesn't matter) added a 12 ounce can of Hunt's tomato sauce, two quartered onions and four carrots scraped and quartered. Seasoned with dried basil and oregano, and a handful of fresh herbs that are suriviving in my garden: rosemary, sage and thyme. Brought it to a low boil, put the top on and set it in a 325 oven. The secret is to cook it for a long time, I left this in there for 3-4 hours, by which time the sauce had reduced, the top of the meat had dried off a little, and the meat was falling apart tender, I cut portions with a spoon.
Latkes. Three good size baking potatoes and one small onion. Peel, and shred on largest holes of a hand grater, onion first. Transfer to a bowl by the handful, wringing them out into a separate container as you go, by squeezing HARD. When you are done you should have a good amount of water. Let it settle for five minutes, pour off the water and add the starch back to the potatoes. Add an egg, salt and pepper, mix with your bare hands.
Heat a half-inch of vegetable oil in a big iron skillet, hot but not smoking. Make 1.5 inch patties and drop them in the oil. Turn with a slotted spatula when brown. When nice and brown remove to a cookie sheet lined with paper towel, and place in oven with pot roast while you do the next batch or two. By this time I had the oven all the way turned down, the pot roast had cooked plenty.
Serve with sour cream or applesauce.....
posted by Eric Turkheimer at 1:49 PM
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